If you’ve ever been stuck at a traffic light and frustrated it only lets three cars go through before it turns red again, there’s typically a good reason for that.
It could mean the traffic detector is bad, or the signal is purposely timed to move the minimum possible number of vehicles on side streets so more traffic can flow through the major road of a busy intersection.
As a Traffic Engineer at DRMP, I monitor and manage traffic of more than 365 traffic signals in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Pensacola, Fla. I’m able to observe traffic conditions in real-time and control the traffic signals remotely from a Traffic Signal Operations Center or even from just a secure laptop.
A map shows all the locations of the traffic signals DRMP monitors and manages in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida.
This project has been a unique opportunity because my job is the only one of its kind within DRMP. My expertise also involves traffic signal design and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) design.
In 2019, DRMP entered into a continuing services contract with the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to provide enhanced traffic operations, traffic engineering, and transportation planning. We also provide related duties, functions, and services in support of traffic signalization, retiming, and overall traffic operations throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
Monitoring and Controlling Traffic Signals
The main purpose of this project is to keep traffic moving, improve safety, and make sure the traffic coordination plans are continuously running smoothly. We use closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras set up at intersections throughout Escambia and Santa Rosa counties to give us eyes on traffic in the region to monitor and make on-the-fly signal timing adjustments if needed. As I’m watching traffic cameras, I’m making signal timing adjustments to improve traffic flow. If I see traffic congestion or an accident, I’ll do anything I can signal wise to help alleviate these conditions.
We use a traffic signal Central Management Software (CMS) system and Miovision hardware and software to monitor, back up, and collect data at all our signals. Our system can collect turning movement counts, and it also gives us the ability to track traffic signal performance metrics. These tools give us the necessary information and data to accurately create a picture of what issues we are seeing and how we can possibly fix them.
DRMP Traffic Engineer Deston Taylor, EI, monitors traffic conditions in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida from his office desk.
Additionally, Miovision provides us with vehicle travel times between signals, which helps us determine if we’ve made traffic flow improvements after any changes are made. It also gives us alerts, which lets us know if there are maintenance issues, such as whether vehicle detectors are functioning properly at intersections.
However, the technology does have its limitations, and we don’t always catch the problems in time before motorists experience issues. Typically, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) or the local agencies receive concerns from motorists that get forwarded to me. If I see it’s a signal timing issue, I’ll fix it. If it’s a maintenance issue, I’ll forward the troubleshooting information I obtained to the local agencies maintaining the traffic signals to make the repairs or head out to the traffic signal cabinet to fix it myself. We are continuing to work and build toward being more proactive to fix issues before they even arise or are noticed by the public.
Expanding DRMP’s Traffic Signalization Expertise
Because of our work in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, DRMP has expanded its traffic operations footprint and experience to become one of the leading firms in traffic operations in the Florida Panhandle. We are outreaching and marketing our talents to other potential agencies in the Panhandle (with much success) to continue to bring in great projects for the firm.
When we initially entered into this contract, we were monitoring about 20 traffic signals. We’ve been able to expand our capabilities by assisting in the upgrade of old equipment and replacing it with newer technology to give us wider connection and Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) capabilities.
Pictured above is the inside of a traffic signalization cabinet after maintenance has been performed.
This system enhancement gives us the ability to collect additional data and monitor more traffic so we can make on-the-fly signal timing adjustments and collect advanced traffic signal performance metrics. It has led the Florida-Alabama TPO and FDOT to move forward with building a Regional Traffic Management Center (RTMC).
The Escambia-Santa Rosa region’s RTMC is in the design phase and is expected to be built in the next two to three years. Since our firm has performed the traffic operation services for the Florida-Alabama TPO for years and was instrumental in building the system up, we are in good shape to operate the RTMC. This would be a huge project for DRMP to work on if given the opportunity once the center is built.
We have recently won a five-year, $5 million FDOT District 3 Traffic Operations Continuing Services Contract in which one of our task work orders is to assist District 3 Traffic Ops with traffic operations and ATMS services throughout the entire District. I was recently tasked with alleviating congestion along a roadway widening project currently under construction on US 98 near Miramar Beach. I created a traffic signal coordination plan for the signal timings and was able to reduce the traffic congestion on US 98 to zero. Previously, US 98 was experiencing 3 miles of traffic congestion every day.
In the past three years, as part of our Florida-Alabama TPO contract, we have also been tasked with alleviating traffic coming to and from Pensacola Beach during the summer on the weekends. This has given DRMP valuable and unique experience in monitoring and actively managing traffic as we are responsible for making traffic move as efficiently as possible throughout the course of the entire weekend.
Closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras capture a crowded parking lot during a Blue Angels Airshow in Pensacola Beach, Fla.
Our firm is constantly passively monitoring traffic in the Escambia-Santa Rosa region during the week, and we are looking to grow the Panhandle traffic team to further increase our level of service by actively monitoring the traffic system.
Right now we’re not constantly watching the cameras up on a screen because it’s just me doing this work. Once the RTMC gets built, there will be an ability to have a full team monitoring traffic in the region at all times. This also means expanding our covered regions to not only the Escambia-Santa Rosa area but to all the other opportunistic agencies in the area.
Expanding our services to more areas means potentially solving more traffic problems to allow thousands of daily travelers to get to their destinations quicker and safer. That is what makes my job so critical and rewarding.
